Metering valve for pocket lighters



Sept. 3, 1957 o. M. RUSSELL ET AL 2,

METERING VALVE FOR PGCKET LIGHTEIRS Filed Au 16, 1954 was ZEZE Z aka0550 M. BussELL C ABLES TJBEITENSTEIN NIETERING VALVE FOR POCKETLIGHTERS Obed M. Russell, Gienview, and Charles T. Breitenstein,

Chicago, 111., assignors to Raymond T. Moloney, Chlcago, Ill.

Application August 16, 1954, Serial No. 450,087

6 Claims. (CI. 67-71) This invention has as its principal object theprovision of a metering valve for cigarette lighters of the type usingcompressed gaseous fuel, Butane gas, for example.

Great difficulty has been encountered in providing a satisfactoryorifice for such gases in the relatively small scale to which pocketlighters must be designed, and some manufacturers have adopted a fixedorifice and been obliged to resort to special production expediencieseven to procure a moderately trouble-free and effective orifice whichwill not clog too frequently or permit erratic changes in flame sizewhen the gas charge begins to fall off or atmospheric conditions change,for example.

One of the peculiarities of the liquified gas commonly used for theseso-called gas lighters is its unfailing tendency to escape through theminutest of openings, on the one hand, and the troublesome capability ofminute quantities of moisture to block passage of the gas throughotherwise satisfactory orifices and thereby cause annoying and erraticfailures in operation even for the fixed orifice.

The present disclosures afford an adjustable valve, called a meteringvalve, which is commercially feasible and gives very satisfactory andremarkably consistent results and allows the user to regulate the sizeof flame desired as well as in accordance with existing atmosphericconditions and pressures in the reservoir, and which further permitsmanipulations to easily correct possible failures resulting frommoisture clogs, for which no otherwise guaranteed preventive has yetbeen devised.

A further object is the provision of control means for pocket lightersand the like using liquified gaseous fuel such as Butane, the controlmeans including a stopper or plug interposed between the fuel supply andthe burner or the metering valve, and having a filamentary filterarranged to provide a by-pass path around the plug whereby to impede thepassage of moisture to the valve and burner system.

A further object is a forming method and provision of improvement inconstruction for metering valves by forming a fine orifice in a softmetal head and deforming the entrance to the orifice by threadedlyforcing a fine steel ball somewhat larger than the hole into theentrance thereby to form a seat of spheroidal shape while at the sametime crowding the soft metal at the entrance inwardly of the hole toclose the latter down still more, and optionally making a shallow,radial scratch in the seat whereby extra sensitive control of the gasflow by the ball is desired.

Other aspects of novelty and utility characterizing the invention relateto details of the construction and operation of the embodiment describedhereinafter in view of the annexed drawing in which:

Fig. 1 is a side elevational view, partly in section, of

a lighter of the class described showing in section the new meteringvalve and orifice structure;

Fig. 2 is a fragmentary detail of the metering valve head, partly inelevation and partly in section, drawn to a greatly enlargedillustrative scale;

2,804,763 Patented Sept. 3, 1 957 ice Fig. 3 is a cross-sectional detailto enlarged scale through the valve stem and housing assembly as seen inthe direction of lines 33 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 4 is a fragmentary plan detail of a modification showing to greatlyenlarged scale the spherically-deformed entrance to the metering orificewith scribed grooving;

Fig. 5 is a fragmentary vertical sectional detail of the valve seatillustrating the manner in which the modification of Fig. 4 is made.

The novel valve means is illustrated in conjunction with a gas lighterof the type generally indicated at 10 in Fig. 1 and including the usualflint sparking mechanism (not shown) which operates automatically upondepressing a main sparking lever 11 of the combination snufier hood andlever means to throw flint sparks toward the burner jet 12 in thewell-known manner, while at the same time rocking the snufier capsection 13 into elevated or open condition to expose the burner jet andraise the shut-01f stem 12A against the normalizing tension of itsspring 14. These operations, or some analogous variation thereof, areusual in lighters of this type and further details in that connectionare deemed unnecessary to an understanding of the present improvements,it being further noted, however, that the lifting of the shut-off valvestem 12A is automatically achieved as aforesaid by the action of alifter lever 15, which is rocked upwardly by the sparking lever to raisethe combination jet and cutoff valve stem means 12, 12A when the lever11 is pressed downwardly.

As a result of the lifting of the valve stem 12A, as aforesaid, ashut-off valve in the form of a resilient plug 16 attached to the lowerend of the stern 12A, is lifted from the orifice in the plug or wall 17formed at the closed upper end of a cylindrical housing sleeve 18, andthe gas is allowed to escape for ignition by the flint sparks asaforesaid.

The orifice plug and sleeve member 17-13 is part of the novel meteringvalve, and fits up into the bore of a threaded insert 19, which bore isreduced to provide a chamber in which the shut-off valve stem and itsplug 16 and closing spring 14 are disposed. The upper end of the insertis turned to provide a nipple 20 in which the stem 12A is slidablyseated for sliding valve action as aforesaid.

The lower part of the housing sleeve 18 is closed by a rubber cork plug21, and a stack of filter discs F fills most of the space between thisplug and the top of the sleeve in which the metering orifice 17A issituated, there being a perforated metal guide washer 22 at the top ofsaid stack to serve as a loeater for centering the head of meteringvalve stem 23 which passes upwardly through the cork 21 and stack offilter discs from the threaded bore of a bottom casting 24 in which thethreaded part 23A of said stem is seated.

At its lower end 2313 the metering valve stem is headed and slotted toreceive a small coin such as a one-cent piece or dime to act as a screwdriver, and a tight-fitting sealing washer 25 of resilient materialfurther guards the threading.

The metering valve head and seat are of such small dimensions that theymust be shown to greatly exaggerated scale, as in Fig. 2, wherein thefinely narrow metering orifice 17a is seen to be deformed and nearlyclosed at its lower end 17X, which terminates in a further sphericalconcavity 17Y resulting from deformation imparted to the member 17 bythe spherical valve head 26, the latter being a very small steel ballgripped in the swaged or spun upper end 23 of the stem.

The metering valve is formed by drilling the smallest possible holethrough the head wall 17 of the sleeve 18 to initially form the escapepassage for orifice 17A, a No.

80 drill being found to be about the smallest feasible for productionpurposes. After this fine hole is drilled, the valve stem 23 is turnedup to thrust its ball head 26 into the body of the'underside of theorifice wall 17 and against the lower mouth of the orifice passage todeform the latter and flow the metal inwardly to substantially close theentrance end of the orifice. This closure leaves no opening discernibleunder magnification of considerable power and is sufficient to preventdetectable escape of air under pressure of 75 lbs. or so by water-bubbletest when the ball is withdrawn; nevertheless, Butane gas under theusual tank pressures (about .80 lbs.) will freely pass into and throughthe orifice when the valve head or ball is backed off a very slightamount.

In conjunction with a hole drilled as above to provide the orifice 17A,the diameter of the valve ball should be 1 millimeter and the materialof the valve seat or plug wall at 17 should be deformable, for instancebrass.

It is possible for moisture to plug at least the constricted or deformedentrance to the orifice 17A; but the stack of filtering discs F, andother novel means to be described, very effectively reduce thelikelihood of failures due to this cause, and the adjustability of thenew valve makes it a simple matter to correct this trouble if it shouldoccur.

A further moisture safeguard is depicted in Figs. 1 and 3 in the form ofa novel filamentary filter means consisting of an elongated, continuousfilamentary filtering duct 30, an efiicient form of which is found to bea loop of ordinary cotton wrapping string, the bight 31 of which passesover the top of the rubber cork -21 and around the valve stem 23 withthe two opposite trailing ends 31A of the string dangling beyond themeeting margins of the cork and the housing sleeve 13 (as in Fig. l).The gas chamber of the lighter is packed rather tightly with absorbentcotton C, and the ends of the string terminate within this packing andthe gas works into these parts of the string and thence by-passes therubber cork.

This filamentary filtering duct is the principal filter for eliminatingthe major amounts of moisture from the metering valve and orifice, thefilter discs F further guarding against moisture which might appear bycondensation about the valve stem due to the cooling effects which canaccompany initial expansion of gas before the jet warms up.

Balls have been used in valves heretofore, and a method is disclosed inU. S. Letters Patent No. 2,674,032 employing a ball and driving screw tocollapse the sidewall of a preformed hole to permanently constrict thesame laterally and make what is known in the art as a fixed orifice,meaning one which can neither be enlarged nor diminished and whichtherefore affords no possibility of regulation of the size of the flameby the user of .the lighter.

The present disclosures are the first, so far as known, to teach theformation of a controllable fine orifice and valving means therefor byemploying the valve head initially to flow the metal at the mouth of theorifice in a direction axially back into the bore to form a closelyconforming matrix seat for the :ball and achieve a microscopic passageof the type essential to successful control of a gas such as Butane insmall-scale applications, for example pocket lighters.

The described metering valve has been found to perform with satisfactoryconsistency over long periods by careful tests under the conditionscommonly encountered in the individual use of pocket lighters by peoplenot otherwise familiar with the peculiarities of butane gas and the comecommon causes of trouble in lighters using this :type of fuel.

However, an even more satisfactory valve is afforded in accordance withthe modified structure shown to greatly magnified scale in Fig. 4,wherein the mouth of the orifice passage 17A, formed as heretoforedescribed, is countersunk (as at 39) preferably with a 1 mm. countersinkat 90 and a fine scratch or groove 40 (Fig. 4) is scribed or formed byinserting (Fig. 5) aspecial tool 41 having a knife-edge 42 and pressingsame home, in the manner illustrated in Fig. 5.

The groove 40 is in fact more closely analogous to a shallow scratch,but it affords a greater and less critical range of adjustment, and verynearly eliminates all troubles from moisture.

Tests have established that, by employing the scribed metering valveseat, satisfactory and consistent operation can be had even though allfilters are removed.

A theory evolved in this connection postulates that where the scribedseat is not used moisture reaching the ball head forms a fine film atthis point which persists and blocks all gas passage around the ball;whereas, in the presence of the scribed groove, a pressure difierentialexists in the region of the lesser resistance at the groove and the gasforces past the moisture film in this region. It is to be understoodthat this theory is not intended to be limiting or conclusive and ismerely suggested as a possibility accounting for the marked differencein behavior of the metering valves with and without the scribed groove.

The scribed seat, in production models of the lighter, is preferablysafeguarded nevertheless by the presence of the filamentary and discfilters 3'1 and F for the reason that no fool-proof and feasible meanshas been contrived at the small Working scale involved for preventingthe users of these lighters from screwing up the valves so tightly thatthe scribed groove is obliterated, and the seat rendered the equivalentof the first-mentioned form of Fig. 2. When this occurs, the valvecontinues to operate satisfactorily for metering purposes, but in theabsence of filters would be more subject to moisture clogging. Moreover,the extremely fine adjustment of flame height characteristic of thescribed seat reverts to the more critical adjustment of the non-scribedtype, meming that the user may be obliged to make the screw-adjustmentwith greater deliberation.

More than one scribed groove may be made in the seat, but a singlegroove has been found preferable.

We claim;

1. In a gaseous fuel lighter of the class described, a metering valvecomprising a deformable metal seat having a fine orifice formed therein,a valve stem threadably seated to move axially toward and away from themouth of said orifice, and a small steel ball fixed in the end of saidstem to press against the seat at said mouth and forcibly flow the seatmetal in a direction inwardly of the orifice to deform and furtherconstrict the same.

2. In .a metering valve for Butane gas lighters of pocket size, a valveseat of deformable metal of the type of brass, said seat having anorifice initially formed therein .by passage of a fine drill, about No.a valve stem threadably seated opposite the mouth of said orifice tothread axially toward and away from the latter and said mouth; a very:small metal ball of about 1 millimeter diameter secured in the end ofsaid stem to bear into said mouth by threadably turning said stem towardsame and ,press said ball into .the mouth and forcibly flow adjoiningportions of the metal of the seat in a direction generally back into,and radially outward of, the orifice to impress a conforming seat forthe ball therein, the gas flow being restricted or increased to desiredextent by ,threadahly adjusting said stem to advance or retract the ballrelative to said seat and orifice therein.

3. In a pocket lighter of the .type employing liquified gaseous fuel,fuel-control means comprising a metering valve having a seat ofdeformable metal such as brass with a fine orifice of about .013 inchdiameter initially formed therein; a steel ball about -1 millimeterdiam- .eter fixed'in :a stem, said stem being threadably seated beneathsaid orifice for adjustment to thrust said ball into, or withdraw itfrom, the entrance region of said orifice, said threaded seating of thestem affording sufficient mechanical advantage to force the ball intosaid seat to conform said entrance region of said orifice by crowdingthe seat metal at that region in a sense into, and radially outward of,the orifice to form a matrix seat for the ball affording an optimumtight fit with further conforming and reseating action by said ball eachtime the same is turned into said matrix seat.

4. In a metering valve, a valve head of deformable metal such as brassand having a fine hole formed therethrough; a valve stem threadedlymounted for movement axially toward and away from said head and entranceto the hole therein; a ball, small in size, but substantially larger indiameter than the hole, disposed between the adjacent end of the stemand said entrance; the entrance to said hole being deformed in shapecomplementary to the spherocity of the entering portion of the ball uponthrusting said ball forcibly into the hole entrance by threadablyturning said stem accordingly to form a seat and deform the holeentrance as aforesaid; said seat having a fine scratch line formedtherein to extend in a radial direction from said hole.

5. In a fuel metering valve, a body of substantially solid materialhaving a fuel passage including a fine orifice emergent therefrom; ascrew member threadably mounted for axial movement toward and away fromthe mouth of said orifice; a relatively hard valve member fixed at theend of said threaded member and confronting said orifice mouth, saidvalve member having a curved contour the radius of curvature of which issubstantially greater than the diameter of said orifice; said materialof 6 the plug being relatively softer than that of said hard valvemember and capable of being deformed by said valve member when thelatter is forced against the orifice mouth of the plug by screw actionof the threaded member, whereby the valve member seats into said body ofsolid material and into said orifice mouth.

6. In a cigarette lighter employing liquid, gasifying fuel undercompression of the type of Butane, a fuel metering valve including athrottle screw having a small, hard, ball-shaped end, a valve bodyopposite said end and having a fine bore opposite and aligned with saidend and communicating With a supply of said fuel, the diameter of saidbore being of the order of fineness at least of a No. drill, and thematerial of said valve body being a metallic solid which is relativelysofter in the hardness scale than the material of said ballshaped endsuch that the latter, on being screwed-up against said valve body can bepressed substantially into the latter by displacement of the materialthereof adjacent the mouth of said fine bore conformably with thecurvature of said ball-shaped end whereby said end is capable ofrepeatedly reforming its seat in said body and mouth by screwing-up thethrottle screw as aforesaid.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS254,130 Harrison Feb. 28, 1882 2,695,508 Gruber Nov. 30, 1954 FOREIGNPATENTS 157,429 Austria Nov. 25, 1939

